


best that we avoid misapprehension

by hallowgirl



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Belligerent Sexual Tension, Castiel Does Not Understand, Castiel Does Not Understand Humans, Castiel Does Not Understand Jokes, Dean in Denial, From friends to lovers, Holding Hands, Literally everyone - Freeform, M/M, Protective Dean Winchester, Sam Ships It, Sam Winchester Ships Castiel/Dean Winchester, Shipper on Deck, Socially Awkward Castiel, They totally held hands, denial is Dean Winchester's middle name, even complete strangers at bars Dean, everyone can see it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-07-28 19:26:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7653766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hallowgirl/pseuds/hallowgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em> As far as this thing goes</em>
  <br/>
  <em> I should never speak</em>
  <br/>
  <em> I know, I know</em>
  <br/>
  <em> I should really feed this thing</em>
  <br/>
  <em> Wait and see</em>
</p><p> </p><p>"Cas is just staring at him and that's when Dean comes out with the really stupid bit. "You know, sometimes, I like just hanging out here, just us."<br/>The words hang there between them. Dean keeps his eyes on his drink for a while but he can feel Cas watching him and after a moment, he drags his gaze up with an almost defiant "What?""</p><p>In which Dean would rather sit with Cas than be anywhere else in the world, and it is far too easy not to think about why. Title from and inspired by the song "Spoken For" by We Are Scientists.</p>
            </blockquote>





	best that we avoid misapprehension

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So, I haven't posted Destiel in NEARLY A YEAR, THIS IS A TRAVESTY. (I've been quite caught up with Lolitics recently.) But here it is, a new Destiel fic. AND-I'm also taking fanfic commissions! In multiple fandoms! I've written a lot of lolitics/political stuff recently, but I'll write SPN, Sherlock, Shadowhunters, Harry Potter and others-it's basically outlined in the post, which you can find [here](http://hallowgirl.tumblr.com/post/148008226239/fanfic-commissions) . Hit me up if you're interested!  
> So, enjoy, and remember, leave a comment! (This was written around mid Season 10.)

_Listen_

_It's best that we avoid misapprehension_

_This is_

_Something that I'd never have intended_

_-"Spoken For", We Are Scientists_

*

The first time, it's no big deal. Dean can't even remember exactly when it was-there's been plenty of times some girl's come up to him and sure, she's been hot or nice or pretty and another time, he wouldn't have minded-but this time, he' s just shaken his head and said something nice because he's just not into it that night.

So it could be any of those times, but this time when the girl comes up, hand on his arm, big Bambi-style blue eyes under dark hair, blinking away at him-she's sweet and all, and he wouldn't mind-but he's sitting here with Cas, who's staring down into his drink, blue eyes crinkled in that is-this-a-human-beverage-and-why-does-it-taste-strange expression and something about him just being there-not flapping off to deal with some crisis, not appearing for a few minutes of snatched conversation, not on the other end of a phone-is something Dean kind of wants to hold onto.

So, he smiles at the girl and says something about how it's not her, but tonight, he's just hanging out with a buddy and they've been having a hard time lately (which is never not true and Dean doesn't know whether to laugh or not at the sheer freaking truth of _that)_ and she's a nice girl so she smiles and nods and touches his shoulder and he turns back to the bar with Cas and tugs at his sleeve to say "Hey, doesn't vanish if you don't drink it."

Cas gives him that smallest of smiles that he only ever gives Dean and Dean settles back to enjoy being there with him, at least for a while.

*

The next time, the girl's kind of bitchy about it-Dean isn't going to say it to her but she seems to take it as some kind of damn insult that Dean isn't interested in going and steaming up her freaking car windows and the look she gives Cas is what pisses him off the most, as though Cas is being a pain in the ass simply for existing.

She heads off muttering something that sounds like _"Figures"_ and this time, even Cas notices, and turns to stare at her over his shoulder, big blue eyes narrowed in a frown and that just pisses Dean off even more.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asks, looking at Dean with those big blue eyes now, out from under that mess of dark hair that's wet from the rain outside and the question's so freaking _Cas_ that Dean nearly grabs his shoulders to hug him.

Instead, he just shakes his head. "Nah, you didn't do anything. She's the one with the problem."

Castiel casts another glance at the girl, who's now rolling her eyes over her shoulder, huddled in a group of her friends at the other end of the bar. "You can go with her" he offers, clearly thinking he's giving Dean exactly what he wants. "If you want. I don't mind sitting here."

Something about the way Cas looks at him then, all innocent blue eyes, makes Dean even angrier and he almost grinds the words out. "She was a bitch, Cas" he says, slamming his glass down on the bar harder than he intends and making Cas jump a little. "You don't want to go off with someone like her." He shakes his head, gesturing to the bartender for one more. "People shouldn't have a freaking problem because you don't want to go and crease up the bedsheets, for God's sake."

Castiel is still staring at him with that puzzled look, head tilted to the side, and Dean sighs, turns to him, tugging gently at his sleeve. "I'm not mad at you" he says quietly, and Cas relaxes then, as if that's all he's been waiting for Dean to say all along. "I didn't want to go with someone like her. I'd have a way better time sitting here. Hell-" He laughs suddenly, accepting the next glass, mood suddenly lighter. "I'd probably have a better time with Crowley than I would with her."

Off Cas's raised eyebrow, Dean rolls his eyes. "Not doing the same things I'd be doing with her."

"That's a matter for you, Dean."

Dean's about to choke on his drink-because _seriously,_ he's scarred enough from his little outings with Crowley back when he was all black-eyes, and if Cas even _thinks_ that he could ever-when he catches a glimpse of Cas's blue eyes, brightened with that grin that tugs at the corner of his mouth, and that's when it hits him that Castiel, Angel of the Lord, actually made a joke.

"Hilarious" he mutters but he's grinning too, and he knows Cas knows.

He doesn't even care because he'll take Cas winding him up over Cas not being there any day of the week.

Afterwards, they sit in the Impala, driving back to the motel and Cas stays the whole time. Dean blasts AC/DC and watches Cas stare at the stereo as if trying to work out what on earth Dean sees in this music and it makes him laugh more than he has all night.

*

It just happens. More and more, when Dean looks at these girls, whoever they are-sure, they're pretty and hot and often pretty smart, from the sounds of it-but somehow, with Cas sitting next to him, he can't make himself get up and go with them. Cas stares at him, brow furrowed in confusion a few times, and often makes that hesitant little overture of "Dean, I don't mind-" but Dean always cuts him off before he can get any further.

"Yeah, but I do" he says, and when Cas smiles uncertainly, Dean can't help but smile back.

A couple of times, Sam's there and almost spills his beer down his shirt when Dean turns down one girl but manages to restrain himself enough to simply exclaim, in a loud whisper "Seriously? I need to pour holy water on you again?"

"It's called standards, Sammy." Dean takes another gulp of beer. Sam gives him a look and Dean rolls his eyes. "Not like _that._ Just-standards for spending the evening. And Cas is here."

Sam gives him another look then-a look that's more knowing, darting between him and Cas. Dean frowns. He hates that look. That Sam Knows Something look. That Sam Knows And He's Going To Act Like You Do, Too look. Copyright Sam Winchester.

"What?" he says, because otherwise Sam will wear that look for the rest of their lives and then Dean will have to kill him and his brother's died enough times, if he's honest with himself.

Sam just shrugs and looks away. "Nothing. Just-" He shrugs. "Just surprised, that's all."

Dean's about to demand loudly that Sam explain what the hell he's so surprised about but then Cas, squinting at the menu, says "I was not aware humans could get fuzzy navels, Dean" and Dean has to spend the next ten minutes clutching the bar, laughing so hard he thinks he might throw up, before he explains to Cas the intricacies of cocktails.

Sam keeps smirking with that Sam Knows Something look but Sam can just shut up.

That night, Cas comes back to the motel with them and when Dean falls asleep, he's still there at the foot of Dean's bed, bathed in the glow from the TV, curled up, and something about it doesn't feel strange at all.

*

It's a few nights later that a girl's got her hand on his arm and Dean turns to her and says "Look, it's nothing about you-"

The girl's already rolling her eyes before he can get to the end of his sentence and then she says "God, always pick the guy with a boyfriend."

Dean blinks at her. "What?"

The girl points over his shoulder to where Cas is stirring his drink curiously, staring at it as if it might talk to him. Dean feels his mouth open, then close again.

"I-" He shakes his head, while the girl looks remarkably happy for someone who just got turned down. "No-we're not-"

They're not because that's him and Cas and _that_ is something- _that_ is-that is _not-_

The girl raises her eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Dean blinks. "What do you mean, seriously?"

The girl shrugs. "Well, you know."

"No, I don't know." Dean glances at Cas who mercifully seems to be completely unaware of the conversation. "If I _knew,_ you wouldn't need to say _you know."_

The girl folds her arms, takes a seat and lowers her voice. "Well, it's just-you guys seem pretty close for guys who are just friends." She holds up her hands. "I mean, kudos to you if you are. It's nice to see guys who can be friends without punching each other on the arm every ten seconds. But-I don't know. I guess I just assumed." She hops off the stool with a grin and Dean stares at her, still grappling for any kind of words at all.

She gives him a quick wave and bounces off to her friends with a last grin over her shoulder. Dean stares after her and the thought strikes him that if he had been interested, he'd have been pretty goddamn lucky.

But then he looks at Cas and that thought is completely derailed by the fact that she just asked him if he and Cas are a couple.

Cas is staring down at his drink and Dean stares at him because obviously that is the most ridiculous thing he's ever been told, including everything the freaking Ghostfacers came out with.

He likes to spend time with Cas. So what? It's just-it's completely normal that he should. That he should want to be around-

He shakes his head and when Cas looks at him and says "Dean, what's wrong?" Dean has absolutely nothing to say.

*

It should be downright easy to dismiss the whole thing. But the fact is-he likes spending time with Cas. And that doesn't mean anything.

That's what he tells himself and the next night when it's just him and Cas at the bar, Cas says "Dean, I don't mind."

"What?" Dean takes another gulp of beer, too much so he doesn't have to answer.

Cas's fingers are threaded together, his teeth digging into his bottom lip for a moment. "I-you don't have to sit with me" he says, eyes on his drink. "I know that you-that you would probably rather be with-" He glances at one of the groups of women at the end of the bar, who are laughing and his eyes creep back to his drink. "It doesn't bother me, Dean."

Dean stares at him. "Hey. Hang on." He grabs Cas's sleeve before he can think twice. "Look, I know you and your bible-camp brothers don't have the highest opinion of us-"

Cas just _looks_ at him and Dean rolls his eyes. "OK. That was low. But-I'm not just-" He can feel the blood creeping up his cheeks and abruptly, he lets go of Cas and swings round again to face the bar. "When I say no to someone" he says, without looking at Cas. "I'm not doing it just to keep you happy."

He can feel Cas watching him and he rolls his eyes. "I mean-not that I don't want you to be happy. But-that's not the only reason." He sighs and takes another swig of his beer. "Look-if I want to be with someone, I'll be with them. If I say no-" He shrugs. "I don't want to. And it might not be anything about-you know, _them-"_ He turns to Cas, unsure if the angel knows what he means. "I might just not feel like it, you know?"

Cas is just staring at him and that's when Dean comes out with the really stupid bit. "You know, sometimes, I like just hanging out here, just us."

The words hang there between them. Dean keeps his eyes on his drink for a while but he can feel Cas watching him and after a moment, he drags his gaze up with an almost defiant "What?"

Cas just smiles and takes a sip of his drink. Dean's arm rests against his sleeve. And it occurs to him that right now, he'd rather be sitting here with Cas.

They stay there for the rest of the night and if his hand grips Cas's just for a moment, as they head back to the Impala, that's nobody's business but their's.

*

_As far as weakness goes_

_This one's hard to beat_

_I know, I know_

_I should really feed this thing_

_Wait and see_

_As far as this thing goes_

_I should never speak_

_I know, I know_

_I should really feed this thing_

_Wait and see_

_Well I should tell you_

_I've been spoken for_

_-"Spoken For", We Are Scientists_

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed that :) Leave a comment if you did, and remember, you know where to find me for [fanfic commissions](http://hallowgirl.tumblr.com/post/148008226239/fanfic-commissions) !


End file.
